It was a volatile night for the U.S.-Iran conflict.

S&P 500 Index futures dipped 1.5% and global markets swung after Iran shot several ballistic missiles at U.S.-Iraqi military bases. Markets recovered their losses overnight on news that there were no American casualties, but tensions remain high in the Middle East.

As concerns over the Iran conflict continue to build, we’ve received many questions asking what this could mean for the market outlook. We discussed our initial thoughts regarding the conflict in our January 6 blog, but we believe it is important for investors to remember that there have been ma

U.S. manufacturing health continued to slide, despite the United States and China moving closer to a limited trade agreement.

The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 47.2 in December 2019. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, December’s reading was the lowest of the economic cycle, and its fifth straight month in contractionary territory (below 50).

Underlying details of the PMI report were also discouraging. ISM’s forward-looking gauge of new orders fell to a 10-year low, signaling weak demand may continue to weigh on m

The U.S. airstrike that killed the top Iranian military commander last week was a major escalation in Mideast tensions.

In fact, it would be difficult to overstate the geopolitical significance of this action. Iran likely will retaliate, possibly with attacks on American military personnel overseas.

We cannot dismiss the risk that the situation may escalate further into a broader conflict. However, from a markets perspective, we want to be careful not to overstate the potential impact. History shows that stocks have largely shrugged off past geopolitical conflicts. We looked at significant geopolitical events dating

As we begin 2020, we’ve had a chance to reflect on what was an unprecedented decade for financial markets. The 2010s taught long-term investors two important lessons: to ignore short-term market noise and to be prepared for volatility. It was a curious time, but many investors who followed the basic principles of long-term investing and diversification ultimately triumphed. 

Lesson #1: Be Patient With Stocks

The S&P 500 Index embarked on a historically long rally last decade. At the end of 2009, the benchmark was nine months into what would become the longest bull market on record (129 months and counting). Si